AV-Test Rates Over 40 Android Antivirus Products

PCMag has long relied on test results from AV-Test.org and others to help identify the best PC antivirus products, especially dynamic whole-product tests. A report released today extends AV-Test's reach into the Android antivirus market, with over 40 products tested.

The report opens with a review on the state of Android malware. The Android Market holds over 450,000 apps now, compared to fewer than 100,000 in July of 2010. The rate of new malware threats is rising, and the overall count of threats is rising steeply. Per AV-Test's chart there are nearly 12,000 distinct threats. There have also been reports of Download-Trojans that download and activate malicious code after installation, thereby avoiding detection by Google's Bouncer.

Android antivirus testing is a new field, so the report doesn't attempt to identify a single winner. It doesn't even spell out the exact detection percentage for each product. Rather, it groups the products into five protection ranges and advises choosing a product from one of the top ranges that also includes any other security features you desire such as locating a lost phone or remote lock and wipe.

Test MethodologyAs an initial basis for testing, the researchers used the Android emulator supplied with the Android SDK. This allowed them to easily grab screenshots, switch between API versions, and gain root access if needed without actually exploiting a physical device. For apps requiring features not available in the emulator (e.g. requiring a real phone number for activation via SMS), researchers manually ran the tests on two physical devices, wiping them to factory settings after each test. They also cross-checked emulator-based results using physical devices.

Some devices scan all storage on the entire device, so running a full scan let researchers determine whether or not the 618 threats stored on the SD card were detected. Others only look at installed apps, which forced testers to attempt installation of each threat. They gave credit for successful detection regardless of when the detection occurred. Click on the chart image below for a full-length chart of all the tested apps.

The second tier of products detected more than 65 percent of the threats. The AV-Test report notes that these products are still very good and might have made it into the top group with a different set of malware sampled. In this group we find AegisLab Antivirus Free, AVG Mobilation Anti-Virus Free, Bitdefender Mobile Security, ESET Mobile Security, Norton Mobile Security Lite, Quick Heal Mobile Security, Super Security, Trend Micro Mobile Security, Vipre Mobile Security (BETA), and Webroot SecureAnywhere Mobile. All but Aegis and Super Security come from vendors that offer PC security as well.

Now we get into products that need some work, products that might not offer thorough protection. These products detected between 65 percent and 40 percent of the threats. They are: BullGuard Mobile Security, Comodo Mobile Security, G Data Mobile Security, McAfee Mobile Security, NQ Mobile Security, Total Defense Mobile Security. All but NQ also offer well-known PC-based antivirus products.

A dozen products scored 40 percent or less, but caught at least one threat. Another half-dozen didn't block a single threat; the researchers could not determine that these products did anything at all. The full report goes into greater detail, naturally. In particular it rates each product against 20 different Android malware families.

All of the products in the bottom tiers are free, lending some credence to AV-Test's earlier generalization that most free Android antimalware is useless. However, there are a number of free products in the top tier. The real distinction isn't so much free versus paid, but known versus unknown. All of the products from well-known vendors in the PC space scored in the third tier or higher, while only a few of the products from non-PC vendors did.

When making a choice, you'll do well to go for a name that you've heard of before, or a product that scored very well in this and other tests. Do note that the free Lookout for Android, which scored in the top tier, is PCMag's current Editors' Choice for mobile antivirus. Look for more hands-on mobile security reviews now that the independent labs have started weighing in with helpful test results.

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